• ESPAÑOL: Cómo un milagro de lo insignificante se convirtió en poderoso

It is a Bible story that has been read by literally hundreds of millions of people around the world. But many miss the main point, how God turned the insignificant into a powerful display of power and provision.

I am talking about the miraculous feeding of the five thousand recorded in (Mark 6:35-44).

Jesus had been teaching most of the day, and it was now late in the evening and the disciples were wondering what to do with the crowd who had gathered.

When the disciples suggested they should end the meeting and let them go find food, Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.”

After wondering if they were to go buy the food, Jesus asked what provisions they had between them. After checking, the disciples were able to dig up five loaves and two fishes.

That small provision was multiplied to feed thousands.

In his article for Evangelical Focus, Antonio Cruz explains how Jesus used the insignificant to perform a miracle that would be read by millions.

“The five loaves mentioned were made of barley, according to John’s version of the story (6:9), in other words the plainest and cheapest type of bread available,” Antonio writes. “It was the bread of the poor, round and the size of a plate and about a centimetre thick.”

“The fish were probably the ‘Galilee sardines’ species (Acanthobrama terraesanctae), a freshwater species that was abundant in this lake, Antonio continues. “Some of the surrounding villages made a living by seasoning these fish, to preserve them, and then sell them, so they were very common and plentiful there.”

“The message that the Master is teaching us in this miracle is that, from something seemingly insignificant, He can do very great things. In his hands, the minimum is transformed into the maximum,” Antonio adds. 

Antonio has a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Barcelona and a Ph.D. in Ministry from Theological University of America in Cedar Rapids (Iowa). He combines those two degrees to provide a simple explanation of one of the Bible’s more intriguing miracles.